Freezing

This is fantastic - as Patti says, art everywhere. My favorite part is the reaction of the passers-by, especially at the end; they see they've unwittingly become audience, and they're delighted.



Details about it at Improv Anywhere.

You're All Getting These for V-Day

Congrats, B.

(Via Mighty Goods, on Etsy. Every time I think I can't love Etsy more....)

Weekly Roundup: Because I Owe You One

• Quite a few friends have lost phones recently and made me remember how important it is to have a contact backup. I use Verizon's Backup Assistant.
• I got a Traveler IQ of 100 - that's through level 8 with 252965 points and a smug Naval aviator scoffing over my shoulder. How about you?
• Check out Scott Wade's Dirty Car Art.
• Most kids want to be a doctor or a teacher or a fireman when they grow up. I wanted to be a Thundercat. (I didn’t. As you may have noticed.) But I loved finding these outtakes ten years later. And re-finding them ten years after that.
• My new favorite artist is Elliott Puckette. I'm not usually a big abstract fan, but I love her work.

Project: The Tacky Calendar Wall

Last year I developed something of an art installation of calendars - just because I ended up getting seven or eight of them, so I figured I'd put them all up. Some were pretty nice... some were a little odd.

However. This year? No calendars! An issue that must be fixed.

I know they're in clearance bins everywhere. And I bet only the peculiar ones are left.

So. Please help! Send all calendars! The more interesting the better. Photos will be posted.

It's Not Rude to Stare

And I want to do some staring.

Renoir Landscapes are at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Age of Rembrandt is at the Met.

Both run until January 6 and I would love some company. Any takers... let me know.

Art History, and Also, Damp Rats

This is just the coolest thing - it's a super high resolution online image of the Last Supper. It's detailed and has all kinds of little tour-guide points to notice. So even if you don't happen to find yourself in Milan (and why not?), you can still stare yourself silly and learn a bit.

However. If you're like me, it will put you in mind of "the big arms thing" and then you will have "Dress to Kill" immovably stuck in your head.

And that will make you go look for the clip online (although you will only find the transcript).

And that will make you find the "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch, which you will then have to watch, because Eddie Izzard laughing makes you laugh, and Alan Rickman is the best deadpan there is.

And that, my friends, is how my train of thought works.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think Jesus has just come in.

Larger Than Life

The Rasterbator is the coolest new thing I've ever heard of.

My Favorite Adventurist

Look who's just a little bit famouser.

Beautiful Girls

500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art

Weekly Roundup: The Weekend of Showers Ends

After a bridal shower, a baby shower, and about seven hours driving to and from them this weekend, I come to realize yet again how not girly I really am. (And how little I enjoy bingo.)

So, a whole bunch of links that are by turns geeky, posh and artsy, but not particularly girly. Happy June.

• How Class Works as decided by an interactive chart. If you're superficial enough to care what the Times says what social class you ought to fall into. (Yeah, I was too.)
• The Rockhouse Hotel, Negril. I would really, really, really like to be here. And it's actually phenomenally well-priced, so maybe I will be someday soon.
• The Sushi FAQ. If you, like me, can never remember much past "miso".
  
• MapsKrieg. One of the more fantastic Google mashups: Craigslist housing listings viewed on Google Maps.
• The Members Project. One of the more fantastic corporate citizenship projects.
• BlueQ. A Bluetooth-enabled wristband that vibrates. Not exactly the most necessary thing ever, but kinda neat.
  
• Indian wife catches her husband cheating. Probably fake, but still awfully funny.
• Tamyra Grey is Mimi in Rent. And I don't really. However, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp are back until September. That, I do care about. Anybody want to go for old time's sake?
• The Voco Clock. What a splendid way to wake up. I want the girl version.
• BetterWall. Museum street banners. Much better than tired reprints.
  
• Donate food for shelter animals just by clicking.
• BornRich. "Your ultimate guide to the most expensive things in the world."
  
• AlterNet. Pinko commie liberal news. Love it.
• Photoshop in action. I love this clip that shows what retouching really can do.
  
• Makeup in action. Also interesting.
• Top 10 things I've learned about computers from the movies and "24". Geeky funny, but still kinda funny.
  

Painting Again

I started oil painting the Saturday after September 11th, 2001. Most every Saturday, except for summers. But I stopped to get myself done with grad school, and it's been a long, long, long time. Since... June 2005? Really?

So today I shoved some things around and... wow, does it feel good to get back into it, even if just by myself.

I normally find it rude to publicly message people, but in this case I've got to say thank you to Jilly for setting a good example, Dusty and Derek for the day at the Met, and Rinnie for the day of creativity.

I'm not done with the four projects I started today, but they got off to good starts and I have ideas.

I guess I didn't realize how much I'd missed being dirty and happy and exhilarated and just still inside.

Like Peter says, you need to reboot. (...he does his way; I do mine.)

A very good way to start the summer.

Here's a photo of what I think was the last one before now:

Portrait as Still Life, 2005

APB on BAM

I got a subscriber announcement in the mail on Wednesday from the Royal Shakespeare Company announcing that they were bringing the final show of their year-long Complete Works festival on tour.

King Lear with Ian McKellen. September at the BAM Harvey Theater in Brooklyn.

I need to see this show.

It is already sold out.

I have wanted very little more than this. I will do whatever it takes, I don't care. Flying to the two other tour stops on this continent is under consideration.

Advice, suggestions, connections both legal and otherwise, desperately sought.

Edited to add: oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness I'm going I'm going I'm going I'm going!

Weekly Roundup: Serendipitous Beauty Edition

• The Daily Puppy. I guess it's more "cute" than "beautiful" technically but oh my dear sweet Jesus I really want a dog right now. Anybody want to lend me theirs? Just for a run or two. I'll give them back before they wake me up in the morning.
  
• Flight Patterns. Mostly for Matt, but it's just really cool. If air traffic control were ballet, it would be this.
• I Can Feel it in the Air Tonight. You will not be able to watch this clip without smiling. And possibly feeling sort of wonderful, too. It's just gorgeous.
  

...now I have to go upload some pictures so we can see how Erin and Rinnie look rock climbing.
I bet they look EXTREEEEEME.

Updated to add: while uploading I looked at my Flickr counts and I have to say, I'm pretty disturbed that this is my most-viewed photo. They're nice and all, but they're not even mine! (Literally - even the inflatables themselves didn't belong to me.) Could y'alls please go click on a few other photos to at least give that more company? And I wouldn't say no to a comment or two, either.

(Updated to also add: if my friends really really love me they will send me pictures that make me look equally extreeeeeme.)

Weekly Roundup: Severe Weather Edition

Now that you know how I've spent half of my rainy weekend, here are your links for the week.

• Running the Numbers. A totally amazing series. Via 37days.
  
• Will Ferrell in "The Landlord". Pearl's gettin her drink on, and it's hysterical and slightly disturbing all at once. Via the Biscuit.
• GlowFur. Because I want one. And don't lie. You do too.
• Pretty pretty purses.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN! I hope Sac is spoiling you silly.

Did You Ever...

...realize that you had friends on your MySpace, but had no idea who they were?

...wonder what the hell Twitter was and why SxSW cared so much?

...already really, really miss The Show?

...realize that you needed to stop calling it "Kerrin's weekly roundup" since everyone thinks Kerrin is writing your blog?

...wonder if some other people would write some of your blog sometimes?

...realize Tracy already has, and you just have to find a picture of her?

...get happy when the song you want to add to your playlist is available when you didn't expect it to be?

...realize you really ought to be going to bed?

Kerrin's Weekly Roundup

You do not expect coherence out of me, do you? Y'all just don't. I am just tired all over.

If you're a friend on Flickr, you can see all the pictures I just uploaded. (If not, let me know.) I tried to make pretty labeled sets but it died halfway through and I don't have the temper to try again. Maybe tomorrow.

In the interest of quickest possible sleep, here's some random-ass links. Enjoy, and expect something better... eventually.

• Lisa Congdon is gorgeous art, in the "wow, I could almost do that" sort of inspirational genre.
• You Don't Know Jack is back, as an online game - fun, but requires sound.
  
• Jungle Crazy is a collection of the biggest deals on Amazon.
• Partly, I think the Archos 704 is a crazy cool MP3 player; partly, I just enjoy the Techie Diva post title, "touchable seven inches." Because you know they're getting Google hits accidentally.
  
• Feel Your Boobies. Fashion. Women's health. All in one. Geeenius.

Vote Early, Vote Often

Please go here and vote for Karen's movie to win an audience award! It's the first one in the second category: "Shortsheeted."

(And then you can also watch it here!)

Appreciating Family and Creating Beauty

Two things that are really hard to do around now.

It's the holidays, and we all complain (at least once, at least a little) about how our friends, and our family, and we ourselves, can be so terribly imperfect and unendingly disappointing. Also around now, even the least artistic of us has been more craft-y than usual - wrapping and writing and baking and decorating and fussing.

James Kim died earlier this month trying to save himself, his wife, and two small daughters after getting stranded in a snowstorm. It's a tremendously sad story. But thanks to Patti I've discovered that a collection of artists is helping with an online benefit auction. It's a combination of both the family and the artistic impulses - except done to the highest power, not in our own little daily imperfect ways. It's stunning.

And so are the pieces themselves. I'm partial to these and this and especially (as little as I normally like gold) this. And this. And this. And ... well, they're lovely, is what I'm saying.

I don't know, honestly: maybe it'll be crazy expensive and you can't afford any of it. But that'll be a good thing, won't it, because all the money is going to the Kim family fund. But, maybe you could win something beautiful next week for an awful good cause.

You could even save it for a present next year for one of those people who get on your nerves (but who you actually love pretty tremendously).